Hole-digger.



J. W. FOSTER.

HOLE BIGGER.

APPLICATION 11,111) MAR. 27, 1911.

1,006,642. Patented Oct. 24, 1911.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. FOSTER, OF U'IICA, MISSISSIPPI, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO FREDERICA. IEYTON, 0F UTICA, MISSISSIPPI.

HOLE-BIGGER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 27, 1911.

Patented. Oct. 24, 1911.

Serial No. 617,097.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. FOSTER, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Utica, R. F. D., in the countyof Claiborne and State of Mississippi, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Hole- Diggers, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in hole diggers, for digging postholes and the like, the invention consisting in the construction,combination and arrangement of devices, hereinafter described andclaimed.

The object of this invention is to effect improvenients in theconstruction of the jaws which connect the cylindrical blade to thehandle and avoid the necessity of forming shoulders in the jaws whichprovide objectionable obstructions on the surfaces of the blade, anotherobject being to increase the strength of the aws.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a holedigger constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is anelevation of'the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the same on theplane indicated by the line aa of Fig. 2.

The blade 1 of my improved hole digger is of the usual cylindrical ortubular construction, open at its upper and lower end, and also open onone side as at 2. The handle 3, is connected to the upper end of theblade by means of a pair of jaws 4. The jaws have their upper endssecured to opposite sides of the lower portion of the handle by means ofrivets or other suitable devices 5. In accordance with my invention, thelower ends of the jaws are widened and bowed outwardly from each other,and are split as at 6, radially to the blade so that each jaw isprovided at its lower end with a pair of forked arms 7 8, which are outof line with each other radially. These forked arms are disposed astrideof the upper edges of the tubular blade, so that one arm of each jawbears on the outer side of the blade, the other arm thereof bearing onthe inner side of the blade. The said arms of the jaws are secured tothe blade by means of rivets 9. By thus bifurcating the lower ends ofthe jaws, and disposing the fork arms thus produced astride of the upperedges of the tubular blade, so that one fork arm of each jaw bears onthe outer side of the blade, and the other arm bears on the inner sidethereof, all necessity of forming shoulders in the aws which wouldproduce objectionable obstructions on the surfaces of the tubular bladeis avoided, and moreover, the jaws and the blade mutually reinforce oneanother, and a connection of maximum strength is formed between the jawsand the blade. Moreover, the simplicity of this connection enables thedigger to be more cheaply produced than heretofore, so that inaccordance with my invention, the cost of the digger is not onlyreduced, but its construction is also greatly strengthened.

I claim The herein described hole digger comprising a tubular blade, ahandle, jaws hav ing their upper ends secured to opposite sides of thehandle, the said jaws having their lower portions split radially withrespect to the blade and thereby each provided with a pair of downwardlydiverging fork arms, said fork arms being disposed astride the upperedge of the blade so that the fork arms of each jaw are out of line witheach other radially, one fork arm of each jaw being on the inner sideand the other being on the outer side of the blade, said fork arms beingsecured to the blade independently of one another.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

JOHN W. FOSTER.

Witnesses:

A. L. PRICE, R. F. CooK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

